Touch-sensitive devices, such as touch screen surfaces (e.g., surfaces of electronic devices having user-interactive capabilities that are activated by touching specific portions of the surfaces), have become increasingly more prevalent. In general, these surfaces should exhibit high optical transmission, low haze, high durability, and low reflectivity, among other features. As the extent to which the touch screen-based interactions between a user and a device increases, so too does the likelihood that fingerprint or other undesirable residue can adversely affect the touch screen surface.
Fingerprint residue (e.g., natural fingerprint oil or grease, fingerborne oil or grease, and any other contaminants, such as dirt, cosmetics, hand creams/lotions, or the like, coupled therewith) can render a touch screen or any other aesthetic or functional surface unsightly, less user-friendly, and/or less functional. Further, an accumulation of such residue can lead to a distortion in the transmission, haze, and/or reflection properties of the touch screen surface. That is, as a user contacts and operates the touch screen surface, fingerprint residue is transferred to the surface. When a fingerprint residue-rich region of the surface is subsequently manipulated, the fingerprint residue can smudge or smear across the surface. These smudges and smear marks are visible to the naked eye, and can affect how an image from the touch screen surface is observed by a user. With significant build-up, in some cases, these smudges and smear marks can interfere with the function of a device by obscuring objects that must be seen for use and/or transmission of information into or from the device.
To combat the deleterious effects of fingerprint residue transfer (or other undesirable residue transfer), numerous so-called “anti-fingerprint” or “fingerprint-resistant” technologies have been developed. These technologies generally involve making a modification to the touch screen surface (e.g., texturing the surface) and/or applying a coating or film to the touch screen surface to render the surface both hydrophobic and oleophobic. The aim of such approaches is towards preventing the transfer of fingerprint residue in the first place, while also enabling easy removal of any residue that ultimately is transferred.
Unfortunately, while these approaches may improve the fingerprint resistance of some touch screen or other surfaces, the improvements generally are at the expense of other features. For example, certain hydrophobic and oleophobic coating materials can cause a decrease in transmission, an increase in haze, an increase in reflection, and/or a decrease in scratch resistance relative to the uncoated touch screen surface. In other cases, the improvement can come at the expense of processing time, complexity, and/or cost.
There accordingly remains a need for technologies that provide touch screen and other aesthetic or functional surfaces with improved resistance against the adverse effects of fingerprint or other undesirable residue. It would be particularly advantageous if such technologies did not adversely affect other desirable properties of the surfaces (e.g., transmission, haze, reflection, durability, scratch resistance, and the like) and/or significantly increase the time, complexity, and/or cost required to make such surfaces. It is to the provision of such technologies that the present disclosure is directed.